THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
they would never be able to speak about the matter. And this was the treasure that they earned for
the deed.
7
When the four servants were dead, Gryphon and his brothers betook themselves to the palace and
found that Falisetta was crowned as the queen and none knew who she was. The reason was that
she asked not to be attended by any of the ladies who had waited upon Bertha of Hungary, and
none of the ladies of France were accustomed to stay with her. Within a few days, she caused the
death of one lady-in-waiting when she grew certain that she would be recognized by her. For this
reason nothing could be known of the affair, and she so much resembled Bertha that she seemed
her very self. Moreover, her uncles of Maganza told her that they had caused the queen to be slain.
While thus reigning, she produced a boy child at the beginning of the ninth month, and named him
Lanfroy. One year later, she had another and named him Ulric . In this manner Falisetta lived with
King Pepin for many years. King Philip of Hungary was convinced that his daughter was queen.
Falisetta had herself called Queen Bertha, and in her letters addressed King Philip as “father”, and
his queen as “mother.”
Bertha’s Pavillion
8
When the lovely queen had remained tied to that tree almost until nightfall, she had been so long
overcome by grief and fear that she no longer wept nor could do anything but commend herself to
Our Lady in Paradise. It happened that three miles from that place there ran through that forest a